Garbage cutting and flushing device



April 6, 1949. A. BJORKLUND 2,468,613

GARBAGE CUTTING AND FLUSHING DEVICE Filed Sept. 4, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet l April 1949- A. BJORKLUND 2,468,613

GARBAGE CUTTING AND FLUSHING DEVICE Filed Sept. 4, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 26, 1949- A. BJORKLUND GARBAGE CUTTING AND FLUSHING DEVICE s Sheds-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 4, 1944 x64 Afxg latented Apr. 26, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,468,613 GARBAGE CUTTING AND FLUSHING DEVICE Arvid Bjorklund, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application September 4, 1944, Serial No. 552,706 9 Claims. (01. 146-182) My present invention relates to improvements in garbage cutting and flushing devices.

The objects of this invention are: first, to cut kitchen or other garbage into relatively fine particles and thereafter discharge the same into the waste pipe of a sink of other intake leading to a sewer or other place of disposal; second, to provide a water supply and in using part of the water to reduce the garbage, while being cut, to a fluid condition and in using the residue of the water to flush the garbage as the same is emitted from the cutting operation.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the drawings.

To the above end, generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices and combination of devices hereinafter described and defined I in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal central vertical section showing one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view partly in elevation and partly in transverse vertical section taken on the irregular line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the cutting and conveying rotor removed from the'apparatus:

Fig. 4 is a detail view in section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an edge elevation of one of the stationary cutting knives removed from the device;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the knife shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is an end elevation of the same;

Fig. 8 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal central vertical section showing another embodiment of the invention; FiFig. 9 is a plan view of the invention shown in Fig. 10 is a view principally in transverse vertical section taken on the line ll-"ID of Fig. 8; and

Fig. 11 is a view partly in end elevation and partly in transverse vertical section taken substantially on the irregular line of Fig. 8.

Referring first to the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 7, inclusive, wherein a cutting and conveying rotor is operated by an electric motor:

The numeral l2 indicates a housing having therein a cylindrical compartment l3, for a horizontally disposed cutting and conveying rotor I4,

compartment l3 th'rough and a water conduit IS. The compartment I3 is downwardly inclined on its longitudinal axis and the water conduit I5 is directly under said compartment and parallel thereto. On top of the housing I2 is an integral feed hopper l6 arranged to discharge garbage fed thereto directly on top of the rotor H at its inner end portion. On the bottom of the housing l2, at the delivery end of the water conduit, is a downturned elbow afiording a flushing chamber l1. This elbow is an integral art of the housing l2 and forms a continuation of the I water conduit 1 5.

Access may be had to the interior of the rotor hea open lower end thereof and which end is normally closed by a screw cap l8. An escape opening I! is formed in the bottom of the rotor compartment l3 through which disintegrated garbage from the rotor I4 is precipitated into the flushing chamber l1. A large communicating passageway 20 between the rotor compartment l3 and the water conduit I5 is formed in the bottom of said compartment.

On the periphery of the rotor H is a spiral cutting blade 2| that is ground to a sharp cutting edge and a spiral feed channel formed by said blade. The rotor I4 is carried on a shaft 22 journaled in bearings 23 on the housing l2 and screw cap l8. Said rotor l4 and its shaft 22 are in axial alignment with the rotor compartment l3. A pair of screws 24 having threaded engagement with the bearings 23 hold the rotor shaft 22 against end thrusts. These screws 24 have conical points that extend into correspondingly formed seats in the end of the rotor shaft 22. (Jo-operating with the spiral cutting blade 2| is a spiral shearing blade or rib 25 integral with the internal wall of the rotor compartment It. An electric motor 26 is provided for operating the rotor H by means of a worm 21 that meshes with a worm gear 28. The worm 21 is mounted on the armature shaft 29 of the motor 26 and the worm gear 28 is mounted on the rotor shaft 22 at the rear end of the rotor M. The motor 26 is bolted to a base structure 30 that also affords a support for the housing l2. A guard 3| for the worm 21 extends transversely through the hous- 5 ing |2 in the passageway 20. This guard, 3| is in the form of a trough integral with the housing l2 and having in one of its ends a bearing 32 for the armature shaft 29. Formed in the housing |2 at the other end of the guard 3| is an ac cess passageway normally closed by a screw cap 33. The armature shaft 29, at its free end, is

supported by a screw 34 having threaded engagement with the cap 33. This screw 35 has a conisure, not shown. The

from the pipe 31 is sprayed or splashed by the fleeting surface 88 through the passageway 30 screwed into the bossed opening 38 and leads from.

any suitable source of water supply under presbottom of the water conduit it, under the guard 3 I, is upwardly inclined to afford a deflecting surface 38 for splashing or spraying water into the rotor compartment l-3 through a notch-like opening 39 in the rear end portion of the bottom of said compartment.

A transverse passageway 40, in the form of a notch, is formed in each convolution of the spiral cutting blade 2|. As shown, the passageways 40 are in alignment but. if dwired, they may be stag pipe 4|, at its intake end, is screwed into the elbow forming the flushing compartment H for conveying flushed garbage from the rotor compartment Hi to a sink or other outlet. to a sewer or other place of disposal. On the outer end of the rotor i4 is an oblique stirring pin gered. A waste 42 that prevents garbage from clogging the space between the respective ends of the rotor l4 and the screw cap l8.

To assist the cutting blade 2| and the shearing blade 25 in disintegrating the garbage, there is provided a plurality of fixed knives 43. These knives 43 are formed on the ends of headed bolts .44 that extend into the housing H2 at the top f thereof and have threaded engagement therewith. The knives 43 extend into the spiral groove or f channel formed by the cutting blade 2|.

. Operation Garbage fed into the rotor compartment i3 through the hopper i6, is deposited directly onto the rotor I4 and then conveyed by its spiral cutting blade 2| with a screw action to the escape opening l9 and precipitated into the flushing chamber l1. During the conveying of garbage by the rotor l4 it is acted upon by the cutting blade 2|, the shearing blade 25 and the knives 43, which cuts the same into relatively fine particles. It is important to note that the disintegrated garbage freely passes directly from the rotor l4 into the discharge opening I 9.

The major portion of the water discharged into the conduit it from the pipe 31 flows to the chamber l1 and flushes the disintegrated garbage precipitated into said chamber from the rotor l4. A relatively small portion of the water discharged and into'the rotor compartment l3. This water. upon. coming in contact with the garbage in the rotor compartment l3, reduces the garbage as the same is being disintegrated into a fluid condition. The fluid condition of the garbage greatly facilitates its screw-like movement through the rotor compartment I3 by the rotor i4 and its discharge from said rotor. As the disintegrated garbage has a free and unobstructed travel in the rotor compartment l3 and discharge therefrom into the flushin quired to operate the rotor I4.

the channel formed by the cutting blade 2| to the other in addition to its spiral travel in said channel. This two-course travel of the water greatly facilitates the commingling of the water with the garbage in reducing it to a fluid condition. Furthermore, the sharp shoulders formed on the cutting blade 2| by the passageways 40 assists in breaking up the garbage and commingling the same with the water.

Referring now in detail to the invention shown I in Figs. 3 to 11, inclusive. wherein the operation of cutting and reducing the garbage to a fluid condition is the same as that shown and described in Figs. 1 to 7, inclusive, except that the rotor is operated by a water motor and waste water from the motor is used to reduce garbage to a' fluid condition and flush the same:

The housing 45, the rotor compartment 44, the

water conduit 41. the hopper 44, the elbow 49, the

' the housing 45 and the escape passageway 50, the rotor it, its shaft 52 and spiral cutting blade 53 having transverse notches 54, the spiral shearing rib or thread 55, the knives 56 and the stirring pin 51 are identical or substantially identical with corresponding parts shown in Figs. 1 to 7, inclusive. and perform the same functions.

The open lower end of the rotor compartment 46 is normally closed by a cap 58 attached to the housing 45 by screws 59. Bearings 60 on the housing 45 and the cap 58 are provided for the rotor shaft 52. A screw 8| having threaded engagement with the cap 58 has a conical end, which extends into a correspondingly formed seat in the respective end of the rotor shaft 52 and holds said shaft against downward endwise movement. A waste pipe 62 leading from the elbow 49 is fragmentarily shown by means of broken lines.

Formed in the housing 45 is a water wheel compartment 63 having communication with the rotor compartment 46 and the water conduit 41. Access may be had to the compartment 83 through the open side thereof, which is normally closed by a cover 84 attached to the housing 45 by screws 45. A water wheel 86 is mounted in the compartment 83 and its shaft 61 is journaled in bearings 88 on cover 84. The water wheel 66 is provided with circumferentially spaced peripheral pockets 89.

compartment it, very little power is re- As the disintegrated garbage is discharged from the rotor compartment It, the stirring pin 42 prevents packing of the garbage between the respective ends of the housing i2 and the rotor I4 and facilitates its precipitation into the flushing chamber I1. I

'I'he passageways 40 in the cutting blade 2| per mits the escape of water from one convolution of Driving connections from the water wheel 68 to the rotor 5| include a worm 10 on the water wheel shaft 81 that meshes with rotor shaft 52.

The water wheel 88 is driven by a jet of water discharged from a nozzle 12 into the peripheral pockets 69 as they are successively brought into alignment with said jet. This nozzle 12 is in communication with the delivery end ofa water pipe 13 fragmentarily shown by means of broken lines in Fig. 8. Said water pipe 13 leads from any suitable source of water supply under pressure, not

a worm gear H on the shown. The nozzle 12 is screwedinto a bossed opening 14 in the housing 45 and the water pipe 13 at its discharge end is screwed into said opening over the nozzle 12. The nozzle 12 is arranged to direct a stream of water into the peripheral pockets 69 substantially tangentially tothe' water wheel 64. On the back of the housing 45 is a bifurcated lug 15 by means of which said housing may be bolted to a support. not shown. The major portion of the wheel pockets 8! is emptied into the conduit 41 and used for flushing the cutgarbage asthe same is precipitated from the escape passageway 50. A certain amount of water in the water wheel pockets '8 is carried into the rotor compartment waste water from the water.

l8 and splashed or thrown on the garbage being cut and reduces the same to a fluid condition.

' What I claim is:

Y 1. In a device of the character described. an elongated housing provided interiorly with stationary shearing means, a cylindrical rotor mounted in the housing and provided on its periphery with a continuous spiral cutting blade having a sharp cutting edge cooperating with the shearing means of the housing, a water supply conduit external of the housing, the housing at its ends adjacent the ends of the rotor being provided with passageways communicating with the conduit whereby water admitted into one end of the housing is discharged from the opposite end thereof, a channelway extending through each convolution of the cutting edge of the spiral cutting blade of the rotor, said channelways being cut through the cutting edges of the spiral cutting blade and into the face of the rotor, each of said channelways extending obliquely to the cutting edge through which it passes and being elongated to extend beyond each side of the cutting blade edge, the upper edges of the side walls of said channelways throughout their lengths being sharpened to provide cutting edges, and the cutting edges of the channelways at their points of joinder with. the cutting edges of the spiral blade merging into the cutting edges of the rotor blades to form extensions thereof.

2. In a device of the character described, an elongated housing provided interiorly with stationary shearing means, a cylindrical rotor mounted in the housing and provided on its periphery' with a continuous spiral cutting blade having a sharp cutting edge cooperating with the shearing means of the housing, a water supply conduit external of the housing, the housing at its ends adjacent the ends of the rotor being provided with passageways communicating with the conduit whereby water admitted into one end of the housing is discharged from the opposite end thereof, a channelway extending through each convolution of the cutting edge of the spiral cutting blade of the rotor, said channelways being cut through the cutting edges of the spiral cutting blade and into the face of the rotor, each of said channelways extending obliquely to the cutting edge through which it passes and being elongated to extend beyond each side of the cutting blade edge, each of the channelways having a concave bottom and divergent side walls, the upper edges of the side walls of said channelways throughout their lengths being sharpened to provide cutting edges, and the cutting edges of the channelways at their points of joinder with the cutting edges of the spiral blade merging into the I cutting edges of the rotor blades to form extensions thereof.

3. In a device of the class described, a housing having a horizontally disposed rotor compartment, a water conduit below said compartment and a discharge passageway, said compartment and conduit being in communication with the discharge passageway at their discharge ends, a horizontally disposed rotor mounted in the housing for disintegrating garbage and for conveying and discharging the same into said passageway, and a Water motor for operating the rotor, said motor having a wheel constructed and arranged to move upwardly through the inner ends of the conduit and the rotor compartment and empty the major portion of waste water therefrom into the conduit and the residue thereof into the rotor vmpartment.

4. In a device of the class described, a housing having a rotor compartment, a water conduit directly below the rotor compartment and a flushing chamber with which said compartment and chamber are in direct communication, a stationary spiral shearing blade in the rotor compartment, a horizontally disposed rotor mounted in the rotor compartment and having a peripheral spiral cutting blade cooperating with the shearing blade for disintegrating garbage, said rotor having a spiral channel formed by its cutting blade for conveying garbage and precipitating the same directly into the flushing chamber, and a water motor for operating the rotor, said motor having a wheel constructed and arranged to move directly upwardly through the inner ends of the conduit and the rotor compartment and empty the major portion of the waste water from the motor into the conduit and the residue thereof into the rotor compartment.

5. In a garbage disposal device, a housing having therein a rotor compartment provided with a rotatable rotor for disintegrating garbage and conveying the same longitudinally of the compartment, a water carrying conduit apart from the compartment and having a pair of passageways one of which communicates with the compartment at its forward end and the other with the rear end thereof, a water motor for operating the rotor and embodying a rotatably mounted wheel having thereon water pockets which actaasirn pellers, the pocket impellers of said whee'l'b'eing movable through the water conduit and the pasf sageway providing communication between said conduit and the forward end of the rotor compartment and through the rotor compartment, and the major portion of the water delivered to said pocket impellers being discharged into the water conduit and the residue of said water being carried into and discharged into the rotor compartment.

6. In a garbage disposal device, a housing having therein a rotor compartment, a water conduit apart from said compartment, a discharge passageway, the discharge ends of the compartment and of the conduit being in communication with said discharge passageway, a rotor in the housing for disintegrating garbage and for conveying the same through the housing and discharging it into the discharge passageway, a water motor for operating the rotor, said motor having a rotatably mounted wheel provided with impellers movable through the water conduit and the inner garbage reception end of the rotor compartment, and of the water operating upon said motor wheel impellers the major portion thereby being discharged into the conduit and the residue of said water being carried by said impellers into the forward end of the rotor compartment and discharged therein.

'7. In a garbage disposal device, a housing having therein an elongated substantially tubular rotor compartment, a rotor rotatably mounted in said compartment for disintegrating garbage and conveying the same longitudinally of the compartment, a circular-shaped compartment in said housing beyond the forward end of the tubular rotor compartment and having communication therewith, a water conduit extending across one side of the circular compartment and having an open side in communication with said compartment, said conduit having a discharge end, a passageway providing communication between the discharge end of the conduit and the discharge end of the rotor compartment, a water wheel rotatcharged in the water conduit for ablyf mounted in the circular compartment and them into the rotor compartment for discharge therein, andthe remaining and major portion of the water "delivered .to said impellers being dis-' discharge from the outlet thereof.

8. ,A construction as defined in claim wherein, the rotor and the water wheel rotate about axes which are substantially at right angles to one another.

9. In a garbage disposal device, an elongated housing having therein a tubular rotor compartment, a rotor rotatably mounted in said compartmentfor disintegrating garbage and conveying the same longitudinally of the compartment, said housing beyond the receiving end of the rotor compartment comprising a chamber having therein a gear operatively connected to the rotor,

a water conduit at the lower side of the housing and having communication with the housing chamber and the forward receiving end of the rotor compartment, a water discharge, said water conduit being connected to said discharge and a passageway connecting the discharge and the discharge end of the rotor compartment, a second gear having driving connection with the first gear,- power means for driving said second gear, said second gear being located beneath the first gear,

8 a U-shaped guard surrounding the second gear, said guard being horizontally disposed and extending transverse the housing with the upper open side of the guard being at itstolaa drain passageway in the bottom of the guard communicating with the water conduit, water' delivery means to said conduit, the water from said delivery means passing beneath the guard onits travel through the conduit, a portion of said water after its passage beneath said guard travelling upwardly through the chamber into the receiving end of the rotor compartment-for passage therethrough to the discharge.

ARVID BJORKLUND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 109,527 Lytch Nov. 22, 1870 469,097 Seaberg Feb. 16, 1892 1,102,304 Stevenson July 7, 1914 1,108,475 Roland Aug. 25, 1914 1,174,656 Beckwith Mar. 7, 1916 1,210,251 Young Dec. 26, 1916 1,675,067 Tschantz June 26, 1928 1,732,775 Shaver Oct. 22, 1929 1,736,550 Schmidt Nov. 19, 1929 1,848,236 Anderson Mar. 8, 1932 1,965,033 Dillon July 3, 1934 2,286,520 Tranbarger June 16, 1942 2,431,161 Bjorklund Nov. 18, 1947 2,446,073 A. Bjorklund July 27, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Germany Mayi2. 1930 

